Valdosta man charged after barricading himself, child in home

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - A Valdosta man is charged after police say he barricaded himself and a six-month-old child in a home after a dispute with a woman.

It happened on the 800 block of East Brookwood Drive on Tuesday, around 9 p.m.

Officers responded to a call of a verbal dispute between Anthony Phillips, 25, and a woman, according to a release.

Witnesses told police Phillips is known to carry handguns and police confirmed that he has active arrest warrants.

Officers tried to make contact with Phillips but received no response.

Afterwards, the Valdosta Police Department Negotiations Unit responded to the scene to get the child and Phillips out safely.

Negotiators and officers forced themselves into the home to make sure the child was alright, according to a release.

The child was quickly removed from the home, according to a release.

While searching the home, Phillips fell through the ceiling from where he was hiding in the attic, police said.

Cagus Donaldson lives in the neighborhood and said he saw the police presence.

He was shocked to hear that officers had to force their way in to save the 6-month-year-old stuck inside.

Cagus Donaldson (Source: WALB)

“People do all types of stuff to get away from the police. So I really don’t know how he was thinking. I guess he didn’t want to go to jail. That’s sad. I just hope everything’s all right with the kid and the family and everything. I give my condolences to whatever went on down there," said Donaldson.

Phillips was taken to Lowndes County Jail and charged with criminal trespassing and violation of his probation warrant.

No one was injured during this incident.

"Our crisis negotiators are specially trained to communicate with subjects to de-escalate situations. When hearing the child crying loudly, our negotiators and officers put their lives at risk by quickly forcing their way into the residence to get the child to safety. This was an outstanding job by everyone to ensure Phillips was taken into custody and no one was injured.” Leslie Manahan, police chief, said.